Shuttering - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 292

Putting up shuttering on a central frame is always a two-person job, with one person to sup-
port the board in place (usually with the board resting on the section of shuttering below
it, or on the ground) while the first two or three fixings are put in. Once there are enough
fixings in to hold the board loosely in place, one person can put the others in, while the
other person attaches two or three straps to tie the board to the end of the previous board
in the line, and three or four to tie it to the board below, if these were not already added to
the top of that board.
When a complete run of shuttering is fixed in place, take a long straight edge, and the
longest level possible in the space, and check that the new shuttering is plumb vertically,
and forming a straight continuous surface horizontally with the last board that you know
to be true. If any adjustments need to be made this can usually just be done by loosening
off the screws which go through the spacers or pulling them in slightly.
Shuttering at corners
The erection of shuttering at corners in a way that will create a straight, square, plumb
corner is of course inherently more difficult than erecting straight runs of shuttering. It is
also an area with very little tolerance for error, as any small mistake will result in a highly
visible disturbance to the straight lines of the building. That said, straight lines in a build-
ing are not necessarily what everyone is aiming for - but if they are important to you, the
following methods should help you to achieve them.
Corners externally:
Cut the last board of the run so it over-sails the corner, fix it, check it for plumb and for
straightness against neighbouring boards, and adjust as necessary.
Start the next run of shuttering by placing the next board at right angles, butting up
against the one that over-sails.
With this board fixed loosely in place (with screws and spacers), use an appropriately
sized square to check that the second board is at 90 degrees to the first, paying attention
to top and bottom of the board (the middle should follow, in theory!).
When you are happy with the position of both, the boards are held in place by one per-
son while the other screws through the face of the over-sailing board into the end of the
second board using 50mm screws. Screwing into the edge of an 11mm OSB sheet does
not make for a very strong fixing, so use as many screws as are needed to keep it firmly
in place.